


don't look at me

by halfeatenmoon



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: F/F, stalker meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29360847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfeatenmoon/pseuds/halfeatenmoon
Summary: Shiori is very good at sneaking into the fencing hall unnoticed. Kozue is very good at noticing people who might be watching her brother.
Relationships: Kaoru Kozue/Takatsuki Shiori
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	don't look at me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AkaUsa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkaUsa/gifts).



Shiori was an expert at getting into the fencing hall undetected. She slipped in easily enough when there were other students around, of course, but she had become just as adept at getting in at night, when the hall was empty. Or close to empty.

She was on the verge of knowing Juri’s practice habits well enough to predict most of her solo times by now. It was even simpler for Shiori to pick the lock on the door, let herself inside and claim a shadowy place on the mezzanine just a few minutes before Juri arrived, so she could watch and simmer in peace.

Tonight she was almost caught out, though, when she let herself in the front door and the lights were already on. There was nobody on the salle, but someone was definitely here already. Shiori moved as quietly as she could, bolting around the edge of the gym floor and into the stairway that led to the mezzanine. There, she hid in the doorway to the balcony, so she could see and still be hidden in the shadow.

She could hear someone in the locker room already; perhaps she should have peeked in there, too, since she knew her way in and around that room almost as well. But it would have been an error, for she had only been in her hiding place a minute before Juri came through the door.

“Are you there?” Juri called out.

Shiori swallowed and shrank back into the shadows. Juri couldn’t have seen her. She wasn’t calling to Shiori. Some part of her wanted to reply, though, and for a split second she imagined saying yes, and stepping into the light, and seeing Juri smile at her.

But that was for the Shiori of another time and place. Juri would have no smiles for her now.

She heard a voice respond from the locker rooms, a high, clear tone, and for a moment of blinding jealousy Shiori wondered whether it was another girl, whether Juri was having trysts in the fencing hall, how _dare_ she, that was disgusting and… and…

“My sister wants to watch,” she heard the voice say, and she snapped out of her jealous reverie to see Miki Kaoru with a fencing helmet under his arm.

Well, that was alright then. Who was this sister, though? _She_ had better not have any designs on Juri, or Shiori would have to…

Her thoughts stopped sharply as she saw Kozue. Not because Kozue was remarkable looking - Shiori had seen her before - and not because she was doing anything untoward. Except she was, because as she trailed behind Miki, she looked right up at the mezzanine and locked eyes with Shiori.

Too late, Shiori realised that in her haze of emotions she’d stepped out of the shadows and into the light to see better. She shrank back, her heart hammering, and tried to quiet it so she didn’t miss a word they said.

Kozue said nothing about the interloper on the mezzanine, though. When Shiori dared to peek again, staying very carefully shrouded in shadow, she saw Kozue sitting demurely on a bench by the wall. Moments later, the hall was filled with the sound of soft-shoed feet on wood, advancing and retreating, and the occasional clash of steel.

Shiori crept down the stairs from the mezzanine again - this was too dangerous, she had to get out. If she took the other stairs down, she could get through the bathrooms into the locker room, and from there there was a window. This was okay. She knew her way around, better than Kozue did, better than anyone. She could slip away as though she had never been here.

Back through the change room, past all the tall lockers hiding swords at rest, and she could get to the back door. Little used, since it only opens onto a narrow back alley, except when they open it for ventilation in the summer to ever so slightly ease the stench of sweaty fencing uniforms. Except she rounded the last bank of lockers and found Kozue waiting in front of the door.

Shiori's eyes darted to the door, to Kozue, back again.

"What are you doing here?"

"They won't miss me," Kozue said, with a small smile. "I said I needed to use the bathrooms."

"Why does that matter?"

"Not that Miki and Arisugawa will notice. they're as bad as each other when it comes to fencing. They forget everything around them. Lucky for us, huh?" She winked. "Which means I don't have to worry about Arisugawa trying to take advantage of my brother while I'm gone."

"He looks like he can fend for himself."

Kozue smirked. "Do you really think so? He'd fall prey to all kinds of unscrupulous suitors if I didn't keep an eye on him."

Shiori's eyes narrowed. "I'm not here to 'prey' on your brother."

"I know," Kozue smiled and stretched her arms abover her head. "For a moment I was worried, when I saw you watching, but then I realised I'd never seen you look at him before. And I'd know if you had. You're here to watch Arisugawa."

"Don't be disgusting," Shiori said, quickly, "I'm not like that."

"Oh? My mistake." Kozue shrugged. "I don't think I've ever seen you watch anyone except her."

"It sounds like you do a lot of watching."

"I like watching people. Mostly I watch over Miki, but I like looking. Lots of people are pretty." She smirked. "You're pretty, when you're standing in the light and not hiding in the shadows."

Shiori could feel her face going red, her hands clenching by her sides. This was infuriating! She didn't sneak around all this time just for someone like Kozue to find her out.

"You'd better not tell anyone," she snapped. "There's nothing to tell, anyway. I don't like girls. I've never even kissed a girl?"

Kozue cocked her head to the side. "All this time watching Arisugawa and you never even tried to kiss her?"

"No!"

Kozue pushed off from the wall suddenly and leaned in close, so close that Shiori could feel her breath and smell the jasmine that perfumed her hair.  
"You don't even want to know what you're missing?"

Shiori tried to say 'no', but it stuck in her throat with Kozue so close, and smelling so good, and making her wonder...

And then before she could say or do anything, Kozue was kissing her. They were kissing, and it was like Shiori felt her whole nervous system light up, like Kozue had electrified her with her mouth. Sure it was soft and warm and wet and Kozue smelled really good, but all Shiori could think of was that she didn't know someone just touching her could make her feel like _that_.

Then Kozue stepped back, and Shiori stumbled at the sudden loss of contact, disarmed, staring at Kozue with her mouth hanging open like some naive kid.

"Well, now you know," Kozue said, sweetly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back. I don't want to leave Miki for too long. He does occasionally notice when I'm missing, and I wouldn't want to end up revealing your secret."

Then she turned and vanished around a bank of lockers, Shiori stared after her, touching her hand hesitantly to her lips. Then she suddenly heard the clash of blades and the sound of Juri's grunt as Kozue opened the locker room door, and she bolted for the back door. Shiori stumbled out to the back of the building, slammed the door behind her and leaned back against it, breathing hard. She was safe. For now.


End file.
